Jeff Gordon Weekly Top 12 Leader Chat at Martinsville

Jeff Gordon Weekly Top 12 Leader Chat at Martinsville Audio File

Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Impala SS, met with members of the media and discussed his thoughts on Martinsville, if there could be a repeat shootout with Jimmie Johnson, his political contributions, information sharing with Jimmie as the Chase winds down, the importance of winning championships under both point systems, the reason for his success here, if he has any concerns about racing at Atlanta, if he competes harder against his friends, his championships being tied to unusual emotional situations, Clint Bowyer, if he taught Jimmie Johnson too well, his pre-race schedule and off-season plans, Kyle Busch and his growth as a driver, when he may retire, his big goals and if he ever wants to run a partial schedule.

ON HAVING SEVEN WINS HERE AND HIS FEELINGS GOING INTO THIS WEEKEND: "My feelings are kind of approaching it like we do every weekend. Just like last week you can't pay attention to the stats because if you had we would have never finished that race. And if you pay attention to stats this weekend then it means that we're supposed to win and I don't think we can look at it that way at all. We go in and we approach it as just go out put the best preparation in to the weekend, try to tune the car to the race track that given weekend. First it's qualifying then it's get ready for the race and then we go racing. Obviously this is a great track for us. We know that but we still have to do our jobs and so that's the way we're approaching it. There are no guarantees anywhere in this schedule with these last five races for sure."

DOES THE EXTRA CONSERVATISM OF BEING IN THE CHASE LESSEN THE CHANCES OF A REPEAT SHOOTOUT BETWEEN YOU AND JIMMIE JOHNSON OR IS THERE JUST AS GOOD OF A CHANCE AS IN THE SPRING? "I don't know. I don't think that you can be cautious right now. I think that you got to be smart but that's always the case. I think that Jimmie's going to be pushing extremely hard because one, he's won the last couple races here and two, he had a bit of an off weekend last race out in Charlotte. So I would think that this would be one that he's certainly not going to be taking it easy on and our competitors that we're racing against are not going to be taking it easy so we can't either. It's not that time yet. I hope there comes a time later in the schedule in this year that that is the case but no we got to go out and race hard and we're racing to win. If second's the best that we can do, we'll take it. If fifth's the best we can do, we'll take it. We just got to go out and get the best finish we can and if it comes down to a situation like that again I'm more concerned with getting our car to turn and be able to accelerate up underneath him to make a clean pass and that' s what we didn't have the last time and that's why we were bumping and banging there at the end. I got the opportunity to get underneath him I just couldn't complete the pass."

THERE WAS NEWS THIS WEEK THAT YOU, JIMMIE JOHNSON AND CASEY MEARS CONTRIBUTED TO MAYOR GIULIANI'S POLITICAL CAMPAIGN. THREE YEARS AGO NINE OF THE 10 CHASE DRIVERS ENDORSED PRESIDENT BUSH AND YOU DIDN'T. HAS YOUR OPINION SHIFTED ON GETTING INVOLVED IN POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS? IS IT A DELICATE THING TO DO THAT GIVEN THAT IT CAN CONSTRUE YOUR POLITICAL VIEWS? "I never said I didn't endorse President Bush. I did contribute to Giuliani. Really I'm not saying that I'm saying supporting anybody. We did that and I just try to leave it at that. I try not to get really involved in talking about what we do politically. I prefer just to kind of.if I'd know that that was going to be as public knowledge as it is I might have thought twice about it because I like to keep it private and who I support and who we don't support but I never said that I didn't support President Bush. I think it's just because maybe I didn't show up at a function that others did. That wasn't because of my political beliefs.

ON NINE DRIVERS BEING ON RECORD OF ENDORSING PRESIDENT BUSH: "That's because I just don't like to publicly do that and I think one kind of slipped through the cracks on this one that it's public knowledge when you write this check and that one slipped by me because I would have preferred to have kept that private."

DOES THE INFORMATION SHARING WITH JIMMIE WIND DOWN AS YOU'RE BOTH BATTLING FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP? "I think that the information continues to be shared. I was asked about that just a little bit ago and the only way I know how to explain it is that Jimmie and I and Chad (Knaus) and Steve (Letarte) and the other crew chiefs and drivers too, we've realized over the years that we can share all of the information in the world and it doesn't necessarily make us use a setup from another team or driver and Jimmie and I drive so much different. I'd say about the only place that I can remember this year where our setups were close was here the last race. Like last week at Charlotte, he was the best car. I feel like we had the second best car in the second half of the race and our setups were complete opposites but yet we find the same results or similar results and so the information is going to continue to be shared and it's just the little tiny bit that you might be able to get out of those talks and that information that can maybe help you and your team and your setup and we'll c ontinue to push that going forward and feel like the same is going to be coming back our way from them. And the other thing is that we have a network in place that basically each engineer on each team every time a spring is changed, an air pressure change happens, it's logged in to the network and within seconds that information can be accessed by any of the team so it's kind of impossible not to share that information."

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF WINNING CHAMPIONSHIPS UNDER BOTH POINT SYSTEMS: "It would mean a lot. (Tony) Stewart's the guy that's done it and I think that's very impressive. I think to me one of the things that always impressed me the most if you look at multiple champions like Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, Tony Stewart is that they were able to do it over periods of time. Over time you would think OK a guy kind of came into his prime, he won and then you never heard from him again and a guy like Dale Earnhardt he just never game up. He just always was there. He could four, five years without winning a championship (and) come back and win one and I think that's extremely impressive to me, so even more so than the points being different. It's just the period of time from when I started and the first championship to the next one and even the couple years in between when we won our championship in 2001 to the one previous to that and then from 2001 to this season, I think that'd just be really cool and awesome and say a lot about our competitiveness an d our organization and my drive."

HAVE YOU GIVEN ANY THOUGHT TO YOUR RECORDS HERE? WHY THIS TRACK AND WHY HAS IT SUITED YOU SO WELL OVER THE YEARS? "I'm more concerned of how I can keep that streak alive one more time (laughs). I'm only asking for one more right now. I don't know. All I can do is go back to when I felt like we hit on some things here. I've talked about it before. We had a test here. I don't remember what year it was '94 or something like and just made a ton of laps and between the team working on trying to get the setup and me working on my line and getting right it was just like something clicked where I went in to corner.and see when you're testing here you have all the telemetry and you have a timer. When you have a timer in the car you know exactly whether than little bit of change that you made in your entry into the corner, where you picked up the throttle, whether it instantly helped out because you look at the time every time you come across the line. So when you're out there making 40, 50 lap runs and you're adjusting little tiny things and you see it pick up in the timer it clicks and it clicke d that day for me and it allowed me to change the way I drove this track from that point on. And the funny thing every time I come back here it takes me about eight to 10 laps to find that again. I go out there and I do the same thing that I always do and I go 'OK, whoa, whoa, slow it down, slow it down' and then boom and the lap times just start coming.

"I don't think it's any secret to anybody, it's just hard to do and this is a track you can't overdrive. The speed all comes from the middle of the corner off but it all starts with where you let off and how you get on the brakes getting into the corner. That's what sets you up to get through the middle and the exit and when you figure it out it allows the team to adjust the car in a totally different way. A lot of guys could maybe take my setup and go out there and go 'Oooh, I don't like this' but unless you drive it just like I drive it it's not going to work. Some guys might find ways to get a different setup to work just as good as ours but for the way I drive the track the way that I found that worked for me, once I get into that rhythm then it allows me to really give the team information to fine tune it.

"I think a lot of it is rhythm and a lot of it's just not overdriving the corner."

IS THERE ANYTHING ABOUT ATLANTA THAT CONCERNS YOU? "I don't think any season's the same. I don't think any Chase is the same and every race is different. All we can do is go and approach it the same way that we always, what we've been doing all year long. I look back at our last Atlanta race and some of the mistakes that we made but we had an awesome race car. I love Atlanta. It's one of my favorite tracks and I'm looking forward to going there. I think that all we can do is just approach it the way we know how to best and try not to make mistakes and see what happens. I mean I'm not thinking about what's happened to other guys in the Chase. I'm just thinking about what we have and how we can do it a little bit better than we did the last time and try to fix some of the problems that we had last time there and stay on the lead lap and hopefully be in contention for a win."

DO YOU FIND YOURSELF COMPETING HARDER AGAINST YOUR FRIENDS? "No, I wouldn't say that. I would say I compete harder against a guy that I think is the guy to beat whether it's Tony in Indianapolis or Watkins Glen or it's Jimmie in Charlotte or whatever track he runs good at because he runs good at a lot of them. I think that you look at your competitors.you could go back to racing Rusty at Bristol and Dale Earnhardt at Talladega or Daytona. Those guys were the best at that track and so whoever you feel like is the guy to beat, that's the guy that you're going to push harder against and it just so happens that it's been me and Jimmie a lot this year but not all the time. I think that we definitely push one another. We know how good our equipment is. We know what we have and if we're getting beat by the other we know that it's in there. It's in the car. We got to figure out how to bring it out in our driving so that elevates up your level of competition and what you're capable of. Definitely I think it's pushed Hendrick Motorsports up to another level by having me, him and Kyle Busch be as competitive as we've been this year and I'm excited that Casey's been running as well as he's been running lately too because I think next year when we add Junior, I think it's just going to be a great site to see and battle to see how all four of these teams continue to step it up."

ON HIS CHAMPIONSHIPS BEING TIED INTO SOME UNUSUAL EMOTIONAL SITUATIONS. IF YOU CAN WIN THIS YEAR, HOW IS THIS GOING TO FIT INTO ALL THAT? HAVING THE BABY NOW, IS IT GOING TO BE A DIFFERENT EMOTIONAL KIND OF CHAMPIONSHIP IF YOU CAN WIN IT? "Oh it would be the best, the best one yet. I hate to get too deep into that because we've got five races to go. We can talk a lot about it if it happens but this, regardless of championship, is going to go down as one of my best years ever. If we do win the championship it will undoubtedly be the best and it's because it's been a while since we've been this competitive, I've got a new crew chief, obviously being a dad, new wife - there's a lot of amazing things that have happened this year. I feel like everything is better balanced for me and it's taken a few years to get it to this point on and off the race track whether it be friends, family, race team, business, everything has really just come together sort of all at once and when you have things going that way there's nothing better than capping it off with the thing that you do for a living being the best at it or being at the top. So obviously that would be the ultimate way to cap off this year but we'll see what happe ns."

ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT CLINT BOWYER IS SO HIGH IN THE POINT STANDINGS? "He's definitely a legitimate contender. He's proven that. If you make it in the Chase, you're a legitimate contender. Anybody can step up that's in that top 12. If you look at his background, it's no surprise. The guy is a true racer, a great driver in all aspects - short tracks, dirt tracks. For whatever reason, we just haven't seen that side of him up to the Chase. We've seen consistency but we haven't seen him really take it to the next level until the Chase started. But once that Chase started and he did then you've got to make him a legitimate contender. So I think the only reason that it's been a surprise is just because maybe he's being a little conservative, holding back, wanting to make sure he got himself into the Chase. Hard to really say. Certainly since the Chase started he's been as strong as anybody."

DO YOU EVER WONDER THAT YOU TAUGHT JIMMIE JOHNSON TOO WELL? "No, no. I knew Jimmie was a great driver before he came to Hendrick. I got a chance to race with him in the Busch Series. I've always approached Jimmie as. he's a very likeable guy, very talented driver. He's worked hard to get himself where he is and I wanted to see him get every opportunity that came my way and sit back and enjoy his success. That doesn't mean that I'm just going to sit back and ride, I think that his success has motivated a lot of us at Hendrick. It reminds me, when I go back to '95 when we won the championship, it elevated the No. 5 team to come back and win the championship the next year. That elevated our level of competition, motivated us to go and get it done again back-to-back years. I feel like Jimmie just came in with a fire but he's such a good guy and somebody that I'm very proud to say is a good friend of mine. What happens on the race track, that's competition. It goes both ways. We're both fierce competitors and we want to win, no matter who is in our way. It's not about friendship at that point. But come Tuesday or Wednesday, and I say Tuesday because usually, when we're battling one another like we were here at Martinsville or Talladega, it takes a couple days just to get over that. Then you go back to the friendship. But the good thing is that we're able to put that aside, put that behind us and the friendship rises to the top. That's something I don't have in this garage area with. maybe back with Ricky Craven, he and I used to be really good friends and we were teammates sponsored by DuPont, started all the way back to then. But we never battled for a championship. Then I would say Casey Mears is another guy I'm really good friends with. But again, we haven't been able to battle quite like Jimmie and I have. So it definitely challenges your friendship but the friendship's been able to win out so far."

DO YOU HAVE ANY PRE-RACE RITUALS AND WHAT ARE YOUR OFF-SEASON PLANS? "The first question - I don't have rituals or superstitions or anything like that. I have routine and I like to stick with my routine. If it's on the schedule, then I expect it to stay on the schedule. It's when the schedule gets moved around or changed that I'm not exactly thrilled about. To me it's a routine of knowing exactly what's going to happen at what time. Once my morning starts I do the same breakfast - and that's just because it's what I drink, I drink a fruit shake with a vitamin thing. I do that every day. If I don't do that every day then it ruins my day. So I still do that on Sundays and I go to hospitality and I do my hospitality and then I go to my drivers' meeting. After drivers' meeting I go back to the truck and I have lunch and hang out with the guys. I stretch, get dressed, go to driver introductions. It's pretty much just the same routine every weekend. As long as that doesn't get altered then I'm good.

"As far as the off-season, I'm just trying to figure out how I'm going to do Thanksgiving with my whole family and then December. December and January are some of the busiest months that I have because all of the sponsors are getting ready for next year. So December I spend a whole week doing photo shoots and commercials or whatever it may be. Plus we have our Christmas parties, all that stuff. So there's only a two-week span and that's Christmas and New Years that I take and go on vacation. I do have plans. I can just tell you, it's somewhere warm. Somewhere quiet, relaxing and warm."

DESPITE THE AGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND KYLE, HAVE YOU SEEN HIS GROWTH AS A PERSON AND DRIVER? "No doubt about it, I think everybody has commented on how he seems to have really matured and grown over the last couple months, it seems. Maybe this whole experience of him leaving Hendrick and going to Gibbs, maybe that's been kind of a life-changing thing for him because prior to that, I still saw a lot of youthfulness in him and questioned some decision-making or some things that he would say publicly and just say 'oh, man, I wish I could be there and just put a few words in his ears of maybe how to go about that'. Yet the last month or two, he's just been phenomenal. He's been handling himself first-class and through all that's happened, you'd think that would be a time where maybe it would go the other way. So that's been impressive and I think that Gibbs will be very fortunate to have him as a talent and also the way he's been handling himself. He continues to do that and I think he's going to be extremely tough to race against."

DID YOU WONDER HOW HIS SITUATION WOULD PLAY OUT IN JUNE WHEN HE WAS TOLD HE WASN'T GOING TO BE BACK AT HENDRICK? "Yeah, because there's been times. I've gotten to know Kyle just good enough to know that he's a really good guy. He always means well, he always is trying to go out there and do things that he would be proud of and other people would be proud of. But that doesn't always come across that way. So call it misunderstood, call it make a few mistakes, whatever it may be, I think that because those things came sporadically, you weren't exactly sure how it was going to go down and I think the first couple weeks were still a little touch and go but since then, and I don't know exactly what it is that's transpired, but I was with Rick (Hendrick) this week and both of us were talking about how impressed we are with the way he's been handling himself."

DOES YOUR MARRIAGE AND NEW BABY CHANGE YOUR TIMETABLE OF WHEN YOU WILL RETIRE? "That's a good question. I can tell you that in 2003, 2004, 2005 were years where I was like 'this is getting old real quick'. I realized just how competitive I truly am and that I don't like to ride mid-pack or the back of the pack. Nobody does, I know that. But when you've had the success that we've had, it even makes it tougher because there's a lot of expectations that come along with that. Had we continued down that path, that would have made things end a lot earlier. So it's been very cool and very inspiring to turn things around last year and come into this year the way we have. It's fun again and that to me, it changes the way I look at things because it tells me that you do have to have everything lined up, the chemistry has to be there among the team. Obviously the cars have to drive well but you have to have confidence, people have to have confidence in you and you have to have the structure and balance off the race track just as in line as you do with the race tea m and the team on the race track. So I think that there truly is no number. All I can tell you is that 2010 is when our contracts are ending and probably 2009 is a year that's going to have a lot of decision making for me. Those contracts might be up in 2010 but they all want to talk about them in 2009. So to me that's going to be a big year. We'll just see where I'm at, how things are going, how fatherhood is going, how much tuition is for kindergarten (laughs). I don't know. This year I'm just having a blast and enjoying life and racing like I never have so it hasn't even been a thought."

WHAT ARE YOUR BIG GOALS? "Big goals, you're looking at the big goals, man. The big goal right now is number five. I've never, ever looked at number seven. That's not why I do it, man. If I'm stuck at 81 wins and four championships, I'm still good. And even more so this year, becoming a dad, it just made me realize that those numbers, while they're cool and they're great, they're the least of my thoughts and worries and my goals are changing. But the competitor in me, every time I hit the race track, I want to win and I want to be up front. I want to be battling for those wins and those championships. And that happens every time I start thinking about going to the race track. When I leave the race track, I think about what we did that day for a short period of time, get right into changing diapers and bottles and being a husband and a dad and don't even think about everything else until Thursday comes around when I'm heading to the race track. I'm that shallow. My mind just can't work any further ahea d than that (laughs). There's just too many things going on in there for me to think any further ahead than that."

DOES THE IDEA OF MARK MARTIN'S SCHEDULE SOUND APPEALING OR IS IT ALL-OR NOTHING FOR YOU? "Mark Martin has changed the outlook for many drivers, I think. I respect Mark so much for his abilities but also with his approach, the way he's done it this year. I hate that we're even talking this but I just love racing. I love it and I've been doing it for so long that I can't ever imagine not doing it. The difference is that when you're in the Cup series going for the championship, anything less than the championship is a disappointment. If you go out there and you're going to run half of a schedule and you know that in those races you have a shot at being competitive and you are competitive like Mark's been this year, to me there's a lot of rewards that come along with that. And I can see that as being a fantastic schedule. If the championship is not on the line and you know that, then it's easier to take that. So I can see that being a possibility. There's definitely some races on the schedule that I would like to stay away from. I won't mention any names but I could see that as being something that could be really fun and cool. But I don't know if that's what I would do or not. I haven't even thought about it - not that much."

Jimmie Johnson Weekly Top 12 Hauler Chat at Martinsville

Jimmie Johnson Weekly Top 12 Hauler Chat at Martinsville Audio File

Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe's Impala SS met with media to discuss his outlook on Martinsville, his friendship with Jeff Gordon, supporting Major Guiliani, battling with Gordon in the spring race at Martinsville, his race strategy, Chase contenders, the new-generation race cars and more.

ON HIS OUTLOOK FOR THE WEEKEND: "I'm excited to be here. This has been a good track for us. I'm bummed out that some things went wrong at Charlotte last weekend. We spun the car out just trying too hard and got us into a hole there; but we recovered nicely from that and got up into the top five and then we had a fuel pickup problem on that last restart that we didn't need to get some good points. But I'm still extremely optimistic. We have a great track here for us. I know it's good for Jeff (Gordon), but through this stretch of race, 68 points is very, very small. It took us five races to be 68 points down. It's easy to get 68 (points) back in the remaining five (races) that we have."

REGARDING YOUR TIGHT RACE WITH JEFF GORDON AT MARTINSVILLE IN THE SPRING, AND WITH THE NEW BUMPERS ON THE COT, CAN YOU BE MORE AGGRESSIVE WITHOUT WORRYING ABOUT DUMPING SOMEBODY? "Yeah, I was shocked. The impacts, where you see it lifted with a light touch with the current car in putting your out of control and really messing you up, and the impact I was feeling I knew was pretty severe and I was shocked - not as shocked as Jeff - that I wasn't moving out of the way, but I was pretty impressed that he couldn't move me out of the way. I knew he was hitting me hard. So we all did learn a lot through that. And I think we had a great short track finish here that the fans enjoyed."

WHEN KYLE BUSCH WAS TOLD IN JUNE THAT HE WOULDN'T BE BACK WITH HMS NEXT YEAR, HE'S DONE A GOOD JOB OF CONTENDING FOR VICTORIES AND KEEPING HIS HEAD UP. TALK ABOUT HOW HE WILL FINISH HIS CAREER OUT AT HENDRICK "I'm extremely impressed. In working with Kyle over the years, I've always seen a guy that wants to do good and wants to be a champion and wants to be a race winner and loved working for Hendrick Motorsports. He's done a lot of growing and maturing. We got him when he was so young, I guess that's why he left Roush, the age moved to 18 and he wasn't there yet. He's done a lot of growing. Unfortunately, he's done all of his growing in front of camera and national media and has made some mistakes, but we're all seeing that progress.

"I couldn't be more proud of him as a teammate and as a friend. He's come a long way and I think he's going to be a threat to deal with as he goes to Gibbs and goes further in his career."

MATT KENSETH SAID HE THINKS THAT YOU AND JEFF GORDON ARE MORE FRIENDS THAN YOU ARE TEAMMATES. IS THAT TRUE? "I heard that and I was thinking about it. I'm not sure how to think about that. I would probably agree with that, to be honest with you. We've been great teammates. But through all of that, we know that when we go to the track we are independently working on our own goals and achievements, and there is a way that we interact at the track and take care of business. But outside of that, we've been great friends. He stood up at my wedding. We've been on great vacations together with our wives. There has been a great friendship there that has been there through all the years."

THERE WAS NEWS THIS WEEK THAT YOU AND JEFF GORDON AND CASEY MEARS CONTRIBUTED TO MAYOR GUILIANI'S POLITICAL CAMPAIGN. IS IT A DELICATE SITUATION WITH YOUR FANS AND SPONSORS WHEN YOU CHOOSE TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION LIKE THAT CREATES THE PERCEPTION THAT YOU'RE NOT POLITICALLY NEUTRAL?" "Yeah, it is a tightrope that you walk. From my experience in having a place in Manhattan and seeing what Guiliani has done in Manhattan and the way he handled 9/11 and the things he's done for the city, I've been very impressed with him. And I've certainly have shown some support to his camp and in his direction. So it is a touchy situation, but we all have opinions and we all have views and who I choose and who I'd support and think is right for the job might not be someone else's opinion. I think when you're in a public figure's situation, your opinions are used in broadcast so it's delicate and people are usually reserved about that. But what I saw, and lived through, and experienced in Manhattan, he does great things."

SINCE YOU AND JEFF GORDON ARE SUCH GOOD FRIENDS, HOW OFTEN DO YOU TALK ABOUT THAT LAST LAP AT MARTINSVILLE IN THE SPRING OF THIS YEAR? "We talked about it Sunday night or Monday after the race and since then, that's kind of it. And even at Talladega, where he passed me on the last lap, we talked about it and it's really from a perspective of - this sounds odd - but it's from a perspective of what he saw and what led him to getting that pass. And then from the Martinsville race, it was my perspective of defending the position and the win. Of course we want to make sure that each other understands we were just racing and doing our job. So, in our situation, when you're the victor, you make sure the other guy understands that you were playing fairly of sorts, and then that's easy to recognize and see as we're both tough competitors and recognize that."

IF IT HAPPENED AGAIN THIS WEEKEND, WOULD YOU CHANGE ANYTHING? "If I was in the lead, or behind him?"

THE SAME WAY "If it was the same way, I wouldn't change a thing. It worked out well for me last time. I won the race. And even if I am in second, there are certain things you can do on a short track to try to get position. Jeff used everything that he could without crossing the line when we were here in the spring and if I'm in second and he's leading or if (Tony) Stewart is leading, or anybody, I need those points and I want the victory. I need to do everything that you're entitled to do on a short track."

DO YOU THINK YOU GUYS WOULD BE A LITTLE MORE SENSITIVE TO EACH OTHER BASED ON THE CURRENT SITUATION OF THE POINT STANDINGS? "Our intensity doesn't really change because we've been dealing with racing for wins and racing for championships since I've been a part of Hendrick Motorsports. So that intensity level, I don't see in my own eyes. It doesn't change by who I race. Everybody has a position. Everybody has a points value out there. Of course I want to outscore and be ahead of the No. 07 (Bowyer) the No. 24 (Gordon) and the No. 20 (Stewart) and probably try a little harder to get by those guys if that opportunity is there, but I don't change - not in the Chase or whatever part of the season it is - I need those points and I need to pass that guy."

FROM WHAT WE SAW IN THE SPRING HERE, HAVE YOU LEARNED ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE TO MOVE OR PASS SOMEBODY IN TWO EQUAL CARS? "Yeah, we're a lot smarter now. We've all had a lot more experience with the bumpers and with passing people. I think it was so new into the CoT phase that we were all sitting back on our heels saying wow, I can't believe that you can get away with that; but it doesn't take long for us to figure it out. We know how to move each other now."

ON THE INTENSITY LEVEL OF HOW HE RACES OTHER PEOPLE DURING THE CHASE RACES COMPARED TO THE REST OF THE YEAR "It really does change. I think it changes more depending on your situation. Going into Richmond, I think there were 14 teams or whatever it was who were really concerned. Then it drops down to ten. And now I think you have six guys who are really focused and queued up and stressing about a championship. Some may argue it's probably less than that but it just depends on your situation. Our sport really gets fired up for the Daytona 500 and for the Brickyard and then you get close to the Chase. And then in the Chase it starts to thin out. I think guys outside the Chase are looking at next year and what they can do to build the teams and trying maybe new stuff set-up wise on the CoT since that's what we'll be running next year. So it really depends on where you are in the mix."

MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE VERY GOOD FRIENDS ACTUALLY COMPETE HARDER AGAINST THEIR FRIENDS THAN THEY DO WITH GENERAL COMPETITORS. IS THAT TRUE WITH YOU AND JEFF GORDON? "I do lay it all out there against him, but I don't feel that it's because of a friendship situation. It's basically because he's good. He's arguably the best to sit in a stock car. Statistics show that. So I know, especially in this stretch for a championship, that if I'm going to beat him, I've got to bring my A-game. And that goes for the No. 07 and the No. 20, the guys who I think are really still in this points battle. So our friendship makes things tough from time to time, considering I'm worried about teammate situations or friendships as you get into that cutthroat, decision-making process at the end of a race. But the intensity and all the things that go into it, I've got to bring my A-game and be that intense just because he's Jeff Gordon."

AT THE END OF SUNDAY'S RACE, IF YOU'RE RUNNING SECOND AND GORDON IS FIRST, AND YOU TURN HIM, ARE YOU IN A NO-WIN SITUATION BECAUSE HE DIDN'T TURN YOU IN THE SPRING? HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT THAT? 'No, but think you (laughter). When I'm in the car racing and get to those closing laps, my style and the way I race people comes into play more than anything and I wouldn't want to turn around Casey Mears if he was leading or Jeff Gordon or whoever it may be that might be in front of me. I'd get in there and use the bumper and try to move someone but my intentions, and I think if it did happen, then it would be a big problem, but I don't think I would put myself in a position to turn Jeff around. So I haven't thought about it. I'm sure Mr. Hendrick would be thinking about it - sitting there on the pit box watching it. But I just don't think that either one of our styles lend to dumping people. If it did happen, hopefully everyone would understand that it would be accidental (laughs)."

WHICH IS THE BETTER TEAM, THE NO. 48 OR THE NO. 24? AND WHY? 'I have to choose my team, that's just the obvious. But it's tough because in the shop, the only ones on the weekdays that are separated outside of the 24/48 would be the crew chiefs. And the engineers, the crew members, everyone else is one unit. They work on anything and everything for the 24/48. When we get to the track, you break into your 15 guys. I feel that my guys are the best. And they've given me everything that they have in their heart and soul to put me in this position to win a championship. I respect them and care for them and hope to deliver my part of the bargain and give back to them. And I would anticipate that Jeff would say the same thing. But I have a special spot in my heart for my guys."

FOR OTHER GUYS IN THE CHASE, IS IT MORE DAUNTING FOR THEM TO BE RUNNING BEHIND THE NO. 24 AND THE NO. 48 SIMPLY BECAUSE OF WHO YOU ARE? "At times I've experienced looking ahead in the points and seeing a Matt Kenseth or a Tony Stewart and thinking I'm so far out of this deal, there is no way. And I guess Tony (Stewart) wasn't in the Chase last year but we had Jeff (Gordon) and Jeff Burton was on fire. And you see these teams that are linking it together and you think you're in trouble; it's not going to happen. But then the unexpected takes place and somebody is caught up in a wreck or somebody cuts a tire down by running over something and all of a sudden, boom, you're right back in it. I'm not putting my guard down to any of the guys that are fourth, fifth, or sixth in points because anything can happen. You can lose 150 points in a heartbeat, in one race. You cut a tire, hit the wall, and finish 42nd and it's over. It's not over, but those guys are on top of you now. At times, I do believe that and I fall into the trap that you expect the top guys to finish in a certain spot and gain so many points but the n the unexpected typically shows up at some point. So, barring the unexpected, I think these guys still have a shot."

AT ATLANTA, YOU WERE ON THE LOSING END OF A PHOTO FINISH AND AT CHARLOTTE YOU WERE ON THE WINNING END OF A PHOTO FINISH. FOR A 500-MILE RACE, HOW DO YOU POSITION YOURSELF TO HAVE A SHOT AT THE WIN IN THE END? WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO THE LAST LAP, WHAT DO YOU DO? DO YOU GO DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OR TO THE TOP OR WHAT? "Well, you're trying to be in the top five after the last pit stop. That's a goal I typically have. It would be great if you're leading and defending. But if you run in the top five, there is enough that goes on in the last pit stop. You can pick up some spots on pit road; things happen on track that you really have a shot at it. On the last lap, if you're chasing someone, you're going where they're not. And that really dictates your move and what you do. And if you can break the plane of the guy you are chasing and get to his quarter- panel off of Turn 4, the way we side-draft each other even on the 1.5-mile tracks, you will slow him down and you will beat him to the start/finish line. It's just the cycle of it. If the start/finish line was down another couple hundred yards, that inside car would side-draft you and cycle back by and he would win. But the way the tracks are laid out, if you can break the plane of his bumper off of Turn 4, you will win the race. I've had a cou ple work out that way for me, and I also lost one to Carl (Edwards) that way.

"I see a lot of guys now that if it comes down to the last lap, they know how that cycle works through, and they'll give the bottom to the guy that's chasing them. Go ahead and take it. Not a problem. And you can even let the guy get all the way up alongside of you because the side draft will work and get you back to the start/finish ahead of him."

SO IF YOU'RE LEADING, IS IT BETTER TO RUN HIGH? "In a lot of cases the high lane is the place to be. And I see from Busch and Truck racing and obviously the Cup series, guys leading the last lap just give the bottom up.

"Just go ahead and take it because they know that will work. So I think that is kind of common practice now. If you're on a short track, if you're here, it's not going to work for you and the guy is going to motor right on by. But it depends on the track."

Clint Bowyer Weekly Top 12 Hauler Chat at Martinsville

Clint Bowyer Weekly Top 12 Hauler Chat at Martinsville Audio File

Clint Bowyer, No. 07 Jack Daniel's Impala SS, met with members of the media and discussed his outlook for Martinsville, chasing Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson for the championship, people expecting him to falter, overcoming the hurdles of racing at Talladega and Lowe's, what might be missing to compete with the Hendrick cars, on being the driver that could save the Chase from being a Hendrick affair, if he responds well to pressure, teammates competing for the championship, progress with the Impala SS since the spring race at Martinsville, running the outside line at Atlanta and if you have to settle for second sometimes given the level of competition in the Nextel Cup Series.

ON HIS OUTLOOK FOR MARTINSVILLE: "I think it's going to rain today. Hopefully it does. I don't qualify very good here so I'm looking forward to starting third if it continues to rain - that wouldn't be bad. Nonetheless I'm looking forward to the challenge. We had a strong run here in the spring race and looking forward to capitalizing on that. We've improved everywhere else in the latter part of the year and I think we can do the same right here."

WHAT'S MORE DAUNTING - THE NUMBER OF POINTS OR THE FACT THAT IT'S JEFF GORDON AND JIMMIE JOHNSON THAT ARE AHEAD OF YOU IN THE POINTS? "It's definitely the fact that it's two proven race winners and champions. It's not a back marker that you're trying to chase down, it's Jeff Gordon, and it's not only Jeff Gordon of two years ago where he was a top 10 car, it's Jeff Gordon where he's a top three car about every weekend so we know we got to pick up our game. Even if we do that and win two or three more races this year it's still going to take some bad luck on their side. If you win they're going to finish second or third. They're just that good right now but we have to be that good too and hopefully if they slip up and stub their toe or something, we have to be there for the taking and racing as hard as we can week in and week out. That's all we can do."

ON PEOPLE EXPECTING HIM TO STUMBLE: "That's fuel for the fire. That's all it is. You sit down in your motorhome, watch TV and the commercials come on - come watch Tony Stewart chase down Jeff Gordon for the championship. You're like 'Man!' Then it wasn't any different when we were trying to make the Chase. Everybody said we were the team that backed into the Chase just because we hadn't won a race and we were ninth not 12th. There were three cars behind us. Like I said, that's just fuel for the fire. It makes you want to do good even more so I like it. Keep it up."

ON CLEARING TWO MAJOR HURDLES AFTER RACING AT TALLADEGA AND LOWE'S AND IF HE FEELS RELIEF NOW: "You know going into those races, definitely we were thinking and I was thinking the same thing, if we could just make it through those and then this week I'm thinking 'Man, now Martinsville. If I can just make it through Martinsville.' Again, this is a track where anything can happen. There's just no room and if there's a pile up in front of you you might get in it. But you can only control what you can control and try to qualify good, be up front, be running up with the good cars and we need to lead laps, hopefully the most laps, and we have to win races to be able to run these guys down or even to be able to capitalize if they do have trouble. Right now it'd take a major mishap on their part so we could even get in the points lead. Every week is a challenge and I look forward to it. It's so much fun just to be able to see how hard that we can push ourselves as a race team. It's only our second year. I don't want to push too hard and make mistakes but this is definitely our time to prove not only to ourselves but everybody else what we're made of."

YOU SAID LAST WEEK YOU DIDN'T HAVE THE EQUIPMENT TO KEEP UP WITH HENDRICK. WHAT'S MISSING THERE? YOUR BOSS HAS WON SIX CHAMPIONSHIPS. WHAT ADVICE HAS HE GIVEN YOU FOR THESE LAST FIVE RACES? "I don't want to take anything away.I didn't mean that negatively towards our group. We're obviously not running at their level, haven't been all season. I definitely think in the last few races we all knew we had to pick up our program and we've been able to do that and we're racing right there with them, leading laps and going back and forth from track position with Jeff and Jimmie. Definitely it's fun to be able to race against that caliber of teams with those guys. Like I said, we knew that we had to step up our game in a big way and it's just so much fun to see how everybody's done that on our race team and our organization. Everything from the engine program to fab. We built a car, went and tested and put so much emphasis on Charlotte because we knew that was going to be one of the race tracks where it hadn't been the best track for us and just very proud of the effort that we all put into it. We went the extra mile and it paid off.

"He's won championships. He's trying to push everybody as hard as he can on his end of it so we do have equipment good enough to compete with those guys. There's no question, I think we can win this championship against those cars, we just have to be better. We have to do better in every aspect of our programs and our work ethic. We just have to work harder period. I think it's no different racing now in the Nextel Cup racing for a championship as it was racing in the weekly level. The teams that win championships and win races, it's no fluke. They just work harder than the rest."

ARE YOU THE ODD MAD OUT IN THIS BIG THREE OR ARE YOU THE ODD MAN IN IN A REAL NEAT POSITION WHO COULD POSSIBLY CAPITALIZE AND TAKE THIS CHAMPIONSHIP? "In my mind and our race team's mind we're definitely not the odd man out. We're close enough we can win this thing. It's so, so strange how you're mindset can change from one race - bottom line New Hampshire. Starting the Chase we didn't know what to expect. I didn't know where to set my goals. I wanted to be hopefully finishing in the top five. I thought that would be good for us. If we could finish in the top five this year, our second year, out in the Chase, that'd be a successful year. We'd won a race. We sat on two poles. I'd be content with that year but that first win changes everything. You go from maybe a 10th place so you can go to the banquet and we've won two poles to hey, we're in contention for a championship and we're going to be greedy and go after it."

ON BEING THE MAN THAT COULD SAVE THE CHASE AND KEEP IT FROM BEING A HENDRICK AFFAIR: "Well I don't know about saving the Chase or saving anybody's day. It's saving my day, putting food on my table. It's so exciting to be in this situation, to have the attention, be in the spotlight. I'm not one that soaks it up and really likes it. I like going about my business and going out and trying to win races and compete for this championship and not have all that pressure. I'm used to if you screw up (you) listen to the old man for 45 minutes on the way home and get out and go about your week, you know go back to work. Now there's a lot of people you have to answer to - the media, your sponsors, your car owner, your crew chief, your crew members. But like I say, I'm really enjoying our situation where we're at. It's fun. I can't wait to get to the next race and see the next challenge ahead. I'm really proud of the way we've been able to step up our program. It's neat to see how far we've come in just a few races."

ON THINKING ABOUT BAD LUCK OTHER TEAMMATES MIGHT HAVE DURING THE RACES: "Well you definitely do. You're aware of them but you can't worry about those things. You have no idea when it's coming and up until Talladega when everybody was blowing up, then we had to try to do, the worry was on. We had to try to do whatever we could do to make sure that that engine lasted whatever that was - getting out of the pack, getting the RPMs down, pulling all the tape off and cooling it down. It didn't suck up worth a darn at the end and we didn't finish good but it was a lot better than heading home early. Those are the things that I feel like when the worry's on and you can still control it a little bit .But as far as Kevin Harvick having flat tires and things like that, you can do nothing more than just laugh about, put it behind you and work harder next week."

THROUGHOUT YOUR RACING CAREER HAVE YOU BEEN THE KIND OF GUY THAT REALLY RESPONDS TO PRESSURE? "I just enjoy it. I like the pressure. You're seeing what you're made out of it. It's so much fun to be in that situation, not only yourself but everybody around you. We're all forced in this situation now and we've got to focus and work hard. There's probably nobody on my team anymore that's staying out late and having fun and I know my life's changed just in the last month and a half. The fun's over. I've quit racing dirt. I have two races off of dirt. Everybody (who) knows me (knows) I'm pretty pissed off about that (laughs). You owe it to your guys and you owe it to everybody to try to do everything you could possibly do in your power to try to win this thing for them and they're doing the same thing."

HOW DIFFICULT DO YOU THINK IT IS FOR JEFF GORDON AND JIMMIE JOHNSON TO BATTLE EACH OTHER FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP YET MAINTAIN THEIR FRIENDSHIP AND MAINTAIN THEIR TEAMMATE RELATIONSHIP OFF THE TRACK? "I think it has to be extremely hard. I mean there's a lot of egos right there and there should be. They both deserve the credit and deserve to have that ego and that mentality of 'Hey, I'm the best.' Both of them have won championships. Both of them have won a ton of races and (are) very competitive and you can bet your butt that they want to beat each other more than anybody else on that race track. I promise you Jimmie Johnson wants to beat Jeff Gordon and Jeff Gordon wants to beat Jimmie Johnson. I'm sure that's a constant headache on Rick Hendrick's part but bottom line is you couldn't be in a better situation for him and all those guys. I'd like to be battling Jeff Burton for a championship at the end. I'd love that. Nonetheless, I hope they get mad at each other. Maybe they'll start wrecking each other (laughs)."

HOW FAR HAVE YOU COME WITH THE NEW GENERATION RACE CAR SINCE THE LAST TIME YOU VISITED MARTINSVILLE? "I think we've come a long way. Going into the Chase.I don't think it's a fluke that we started this Chase and these Car of Tomorrow races with a bang. I really think we had a long of things that we were wanting to try and were reluctant to do because if it didn't work and we couldn't afford a disastrous day, a 30th-place finish and our trick of the week didn't work. We just flat out couldn't afford that, couldn't afford to take that chance of missing the Chase but once we were in it we didn't have anything to lose. We were 12th. We couldn't possibly be 13th and we had to make some big gains and we were able to try those things that they were wanting try and sure enough they worked. I'm excited about here. I'm excited about Phoenix. We went and tested St. Louis this week and it's funny when you show up there, I didn't even know..here's the 48, the 9 and the 19. So the same worry's on them and they're work ethic is definitely there as well."

ON SEEING A LOT OF CLOSE FINISHES AT ATLANTA AND THE DRIVER ON THE HIGH SIDE ALWAYS COMING OUT ON TOP. IS ATLANTA A TRACK THAT YOU WOULD SET UP TO RUN ON THE OUTSIDE OR DOES IT JUST SORT OF HAPPEN THAT WAY? "I've always said, these races nine times out of 10, they're won the bottom. The car that's diggin' on the bottom and running the fastest laps are on the bottom nine times out of 10. Now come towards the end, you can get such a strong run running up high that you can suck right around them because you get such a strong run up off but typically any of these guys you see running outside, they'll start up here and nine times out of 10 they flat side their right side and they're out of contention by the end of the race. I've watched it time and time again. I'll get up there and things will feel really good and next thing you know you're getting a little more greedy and a little more greedy - 'keep it up, lap times are good, keep it up' - and they coach you right into the fence. The outside is definitely fast and productive at times but you got to be really careful with it because it can bite you."

IN TWO YEARS IN THE NEXTEL CUP WITH THIS LEVEL OF COMPETITION, HAVE YOU LEARNED TO ACCEPT THAT IF SECOND IS THE BEST YOU CAN DO THAT'S A VICTORY? "Yeah and that's the hardest thing about racing at this level that it is to take to a race car driver because people (who do) any kind of racing, it doesn't matter what it is, to me it doesn't matter what sport it is - confidence is everything. If you have confidence knowing that you're going to go to that track and kick their butt that week or that ball field and whip their butt, you're going to go out there and do it. Getting that win was exactly what our team needed. I knew it, confidence wise for myself. I knew it for my chew chief all the way down to our over the wall crew members. There's that cocky side of you that you have to have to be successful in any kind of sport that we were missing. I guess we were starting to settle in for second (being) just OK and it's not and I don't think in two years time. I think the day that you lose that and you go to the race track thinking if we can get a top five this week that'll be OK, that would be a like win. You can't have that , not racing for championships and not wanting to be the best."

Kyle Busch Weekly Top 12 Hauler Chat at Martinsville

Kyle Busch Weekly Top 12 Hauler Chat at Martinsville Audio File

Kyle Busch, No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Impala SS, met with members of the media at Martinsville Speedway and discussed his outlook for the weekend, how the top teams are the best no matter what cars are driven, whether or not he races his teammates differently than other drivers, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon battling at Martinsville in March, what he learned at Martinsville in March, the maturity he's shown this year, if he thinks the level of respect for him has gone up, if he compares himself to other young adults in sports, what he learned from the last Chase, racing at Atlanta, whether the points gap seems larger because Jeff Gordon is in the lead, Casey Mears letting him pass at Dover and if he's comfortable with it and how morale is for his team.

Select quotes from driver interview:

JIMMIE JOHNSON AND JEFF GORDON RACED EACH OTHER VERY HARD AT THE END OF THE LAST RACE AT MARTINSVILLE. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT? "That's pretty cool. It's good to see the kind of stuff, to let everybody race the way they need to race or want to race. With this new car - luckily - Jeff was trying to figure out how to get by him and was beating on him a little bit. It looked like a Legend Car race at Lowe's Motor Speedway or something. Other than that, you just try to do what you can to pass a guy in front of you and in the old car he would have dumped him. So with this car you just try to push him hard enough to push him out of the way."

YOU'VE BEEN SHOWING MORE MATURITY THIS YEAR. ARE YOU CONCIOUSLY WORKING ON THAT? "I appreciate it, but honestly, I don't know. I haven't really changed much of anything of what's been going on around me and within me. Maybe having a little bit better surroundings has been the biggest thing, just a couple different people that I've got around me now that are helping out and doing some things differently for me. I guess that might be the thing that's sort of changed a little bit of ways but other than that, just trying to figure out how to grow up, I guess, has been the biggest thing."

ON CASEY MEARS LETTING YOU PASS HIM AT DOVER SO YOU COULD GET CHASE POINTS: "We asked. He wasn't told, we asked. We went to Casey and we were running around there towards the end of the race with each other and we asked if he would give us a break and give us a spot if it wasn't going to hinder him any and if it was okay that he could do it. He got asked that same thing by Jeff (Gordon) I think, at Kansas, and didn't lay over for Jeff at Kansas because he wants to finish the best he can. We had a team meeting about it and he talked about it and we agreed with him that it's not necessarily the best thing for him to do because he's battling a points deal too. He's trying to get to 13th. Luckily he gave us a spot and we were very appreciative of it. We talked after the race and stuff so it wasn't a team order, it was his decision, ultimately.

"I had to do (the same) two years ago for Jeff and I did it three years ago for Jeff too when we were at Charlotte, the fall race, when I was running the No. 84 CARQUEST car. Jeff was having a horrible day running 32nd, barely being able to keep the car on the race track and we were running 30th or something like that. So I had to come down pit road and sit there for two laps to give Jeff two laps so he could finish two spots further up. We did that then and I think there was a time the year before too because I was out of the Chase and he was in the Chase. You try to help out with what you can to try to get a guy a championship. If it's a teammate and you don't have a shot at it than why not? It will come back to you another way somehow. It's Karma, dude."

Denny Hamlin Weekly Top 12 Hauler Chat at Martinsville

Denny Hamlin Weekly Top 12 Hauler Chat at Martinsville Audio File

Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Freight Impala SS, met with members of the media on racing in home state of Virginia; racing at Martinsville Speedway; on Atlanta Motor Speedway; goals in the remainder of the Chase; open wheel drivers coming in to Cup

Select quotes from driver interview:

ON WHAT IT WOULD MEAN FOR HIM TO WIN AT MARTINSVILLE IN HIS HOME STATE OF VIRGINIA: "We have been just short of getting that Grandfather Clock (trophy) a lot of times here. There have been a lot of opportunities. I felt like we could have gotten it in the late model series and didn't. Then, last year, in this race with Johnson (Jimmie) on the last lap. I definitely feel like we have had some slip away from us here a little bit. Eventually it will come around and we are going to us one of the Grandfather Clocks."

ON HOW YOU WILL STRATEGIZE LAST LAP PASSES AND CONTACT WITH OTHER DRIVERS BECAUSE OF DIFFERENCES WITH COT: "I think a lot of it has to do with the position in which you are in behind the guy. If you are square behind him, yes, it is going to launch the guys forward. If you are more to the left side of the guy, it can get them out of shape, so really, it really just depends on that last lap how you can position yourself to kind of get that guy out of the way. Because, really it is going to be hard to pass here clean, especially on the last lap."

ON WHAT IT IS ABOUT MARTINSVILLE HE LIKES: "It is such tight quarters, it is short track racing, you are going to run in to each other, that kind of stuff happens. It is pretty much what we all grew up on. Me especially, running so many late model races here. "

ON WATCHING JIMMIE (JOHNSON) AND JEFF (GORDON) BUMP AND BANG FOR WIN DURING SPRING RACE: "It was interesting, I thought I was going to put myself in a good position to win the race. Those guys have driven around each other enough to know what each other can take, there toward the end when Jeff was getting a little frustrated, I thought I was in a good spot."

ON RACING IN TRUCK RACE AT MARTINSVILLE: "It is a good one for me to run. It is a relatively easy weekend; we don't have the Busch cars here. The trucks drive very very similar to the new generation race car Impala SS, so I feel like maybe I could learn a little bit as far as handling to help me for Sunday. This is one of the very few tracks where the two drive similar enough where I feel like there is a benefit."

Jeff Burton Weekly Top 12 Hauler Chat at Martinsville

Jeff Burton Weekly Top 12 Hauler Chat at Martinsville Audio File

Jeff Burton, No. 31 AT&T Mobility Impala SS, met with members of the media and discussed his opinions on NASCAR's new generation race car, the development of Clint Bowyer this season compared to last year, his mentoring role with Clint, the level of intensity during the Chase, if it's actually a disadvantage to have all his teammates in the Chase, on how far he'd go to help Clint win the championship, his opinion on drivers contributing to political affiliations and if the Impala SS gives him more leeway to move somebody without spinning them out.

Select quotes from driver interview:

ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF CLINT BOWYER THIS SEASON AND THE CHANGES HE'S SEEN IN HIM SINCE LAST SEASON: "Just having been there done that I think is a big help for Clint. Clint has limited experience racing asphalt race cars. Honestly he really does. And I think going through a year.they ran well last year but had things happen during the race. The deal with Pocono with (Tony) Stewart on the front straightaway, there were several situations last year that he got in that he may not have been at fault in but he learned a lot from it. It's just hard to have that limited experience and be as good as you can be. I think those experiences really help Clint. If you think about it, Clint's never been a guy to get in a lot of trouble on the race track. He's never been in the middle of a lot of stuff but I think that he even is more so that now because he understands the cars a little more. He understands the game a little more. Clint has the driving ability to win championships and win races, there's no question about that. Matching that experience level with that talent is really impor tant and I think that's where I see the biggest difference is him just kind of understanding, seeing the big picture a little bit more. When you're a rookie.and don't forget Clint was pretty much on the fast track getting here, that's a lot going on. It's a long year, a lot of stuff happening, a big lifestyle change. I think you kind of almost have to go through that to understand it and going through it I think helped Clint."

IF CLINT HAD THE CHANCE TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP AT THE LAST RACE, WOULD YOU BLOCK IN ORDER TO HELP YOUR TEAMMATE OUT? "I hate these scenarios. I understand why you have to ask it. I think that at the end of the day I have to have Clint Bowyer's respect but I also have to have everybody's respect on the race track and the only way to have people's respect is to conduct yourself in a fashion that you would want done to you. I am not wanting to be in that position nor would I want one of my teammates to be in that position. At the end of the day I have to wake up, look at myself in the mirror and know that I did the right thing and sometimes doing the right thing is a hard thing to do but I couldn't intentionally harm someone else's effort to try to help our company's effort in a blatant way. That's not to say that I won't race someone maybe a little harder than I would but you got to remember all that comes back and whatever you do is going to be done to you as it should be in our sport. That's how it works. At the end of the day, I have to know that I've done the right thing for me and my tea m and having the other drivers' respect and if you cross that line I think you got big trouble for yourself."